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Monday, February 18, 2008

Why We Need Science Museums

This week's issue of Time magazine has an article entitled "How to Make Great Teachers." While the whole article in interesting, what caught my eye was the following:

"Recent test results show that U.S. 10th-graders ranked just 17th in science
among peers from 30 nations, while in math they placed in the bottom five."


Science museums are part of the solution. There are by no means the solution, but they have a unique contribution to make to the science education of American students. I know that our museum reaches almost 30,000 students a year with science experiences they would never be able to come across in the school system by itself.

The school system, on the other hand, is able to provide the ongoing instruction needed for students on a daily basis. It is a complex problem that will take all groups coming together to find a solution. America cannot afford to be 17th in science. Our future depends on it.